New report: Do away with policy barring women from combat

A new study on diversity in the military contains 20 recommendations for the armed forces, including one that women be allowed to fight alongside men in combat units.

The Military Leadership Diversity Commission says the Defense Department should phase out the policy barring women from being assigned to ground combat units below the brigade level.

It acknowledges the realities of the fluid battle lines in Iraq and Afghanistan, where women face danger while on convoys, guard duty or performing other jobs not directly related to combat.

Changing the policy would allow women to receive credit for the dangers they're facing anyway, and that could help them advance through the ranks.

Congress created the commission in 2009 and assigned it to evaluate policies and practices that guide diversity in the military. The group hosted 13 public hearings across the country and conducted interviews with service members.

Among its other findings: Racial and ethnic minorities are still under-represented in top military leadership posts, and the military should address the "gender gap" in retention, because women across the board don't stay in the military as long as men.

On combat, changing the policy regarding females would open more career fields to women "and create a level playing field for all qualified service members," it says.

Now, the playing field is not level. The policy bars women from being assigned to ground combat units, but they can serve in units that are "attached" to ground combat units. The distinction is important: if attached, they are not recognized for ground combat experience, which could advance their careers.

A commission "issue paper" on women in combat was not part of the final report, but it guided the group in its deliberations and provided further insight.

It said female service members who trained as cooks ended up receiving the Combat Action Badge in Iraq. That's because contractor cooks freed up the women for other jobs, such as guard duty, which put them in greater danger.

The same paper noted no evidence that greater roles for women would harm a unit's fighting prowess or mission effectiveness.

"Neither research nor practical experience has supported this concern," it said.

It could not make conclusions about female physical fitness and performance in combat, but suggested that the issue is more nuanced.

"When it comes to arguments about carrying equipment or even wounded soldiers, some argue that inability may be more a function of size than gender," the issue paper said, "and that the capabilities of smaller men and larger women overlap."

The report does not recommend different standards for women in combat. If a mission calls for carrying a 60-pound pack for 20 miles, women couldn't shoulder a 40-pound pack for half the distance.

Genevieve Chase, a staff sergeant in the Army Reserves, founded American Women Veterans. She said her group is not immediately pushing for women to begin serving in infantry units.

"The first step," she said, "is to acknowledge how women have served over the past decade."

And she agreed that standards must remain high.

"We also believe, across the board, that if women are introduced into these particular job sets, they need to meet the requirements," she said. "It isn't just a gender issue. It can be a physical health issue."